2019 Volvo V60 essentials: A fine crossover alternative

Volvo definitely knows how to do wagons

What is it: Luxury or near-luxury wagons aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, so kudos to Volvo for sticking with them all these decades. The automaker introduced this latest V60 at last year’s New York auto show in four trim levels: Momentum, Cross Country, R-Design and Inscription. Prices start at $38,900. Our tester is the Inscription, starting at $49,400. Inscription extras include leather seats, four-zone climate control, a 600-watt Harman Kardon stereo and tons more goodies.

Highlights: After Volvo’s midsize S60 sedan sold well for a decade, the company decided a wagon was needed. It introduced the V60 globally in 2011, and we got ours here in the States in 2014. This is the second generation; it rides on Volvo’s new scalable product architecture, or SPA, along with the XC60 crossover and 90 Series cars. The platform is flexible to the point it can be adjusted in any direction except the distance between the front axle and dash crossbeam, crucial for crash protection.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

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The 2019 Volvo V60 offers two wood inlay options and several colors for upholstery.

Our Opinion: Volvo V60s come in front-drive T5 and all-wheel-drive T6 flavors. The T5 uses a 250-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four and an eight-speed automatic transmission. My test car, the T6, adds a supercharger to the same turbocharged engine, squeezing out 316 hp. Why both a supercharger and turbocharger? A supercharger adds power throughout the rev range, but it costs horsepower to run it. A turbocharger doesn’t sap horsepower but takes time to get spinning to add power. Volvo figures combining the two gives the benefits of both without penalties, and after driving the T6 car it's hard to argue.

The T6’s power is more than sufficient and lag is indeed minimal, making the car plenty quick off the line and in the middle revs. Volvo says 60 mph arrives in about six and a half seconds, and really, do you need your wagon any quicker? About my only beef with this powertrain is that it sounds somewhat drone-ish -- not great.

Tooling around town, the steering is light and communicative, the ride quiet and mostly smooth. If I push the car a bit, though, the ride gets a little choppy and the 18-inch alloy wheels (standard with the Inscription package) transmit rougher pavement to the cabin. It’s not too bad but is noticeable. (And to give Volvo the benefit of the doubt, I’m driving this at the height of Detroit’s nasty pothole season ...).

The front buckets are Volvo’s typical excellent seats, helping mitigate the choppy-ish ride. In fact, the V60’s cabin is a real strong point. It’s well built and sturdy, and the materials are as good as other like-priced cars I can think of. That praise comes with a caveat, however: Sensus, the iPad-style center screen, remains maddening to me, even now that I’ve had more experience with it, and even though Volvo claims the resolution is better and the processor 50 percent faster. While Sensus looks elegant and well integrated, it’s far too complicated. The simplest operation -- say, turning on a heated seat or switching the radio from AM to FM takes too much attention away from the road. And more than once the screen didn’t respond immediately to my inputs, requiring several stabs at whatever icon I wanted to function. Sadly, most of the car’s adjustments are accomplished through swiping your way around the screen. Even the owner’s manual is in there. Sensus remains a Volvo deal-breaker for me.

That’s my biggest beef. Otherwise, this is a nice-driving, high-quality, good-looking wagon. It’s not quite as refined as a similarly sized Benz or Audi, but the Volvo’s base price is a few grand less. There’s nothing wrong with the V60 that an easier-to-use center screen wouldn’t fix.